High School Sweet Hearts
by TheMockingjaySerpent
Summary: Katniss is a sophmore in highschool, she becomes high school sweet hearts with Peeta, but will ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends interfere? How can Katniss think about her love life with all of the Gossip and cyberbullying constantly going around? (This is one of my old stories that I'm republishing but it's gonna be better than the original) (sorry for bad summary,not good at them)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey so this is one of my old stories, and I decided to post it again, but I'm changing somethings from last time to make it better!**

* * *

 **~Katniss~**

* * *

My name is Katniss Everdeen. I turn sixteen years old tomorrow. I have a sister named Primrose Everdeen. She is eleven. my dad died in a car crash when I was eleven, so did Gale's. Gale is my cousin, we've been best friends practically forever. My family and Gale's live together, when our dads died, money became an issue so my mom and his mom decided it would be best to split the rent. We live in a two story with four bedrooms. I share a room with prim on the bottom floor. Gale shares a room with Rory on the bottom floor. His mom, Vick, and Posy share the master bedroom upstairs. My mom has a room upstairs. Gale is like my big brother instead of just my cousin, and Gale loves me like a sister, so I don't tell him everything Glimmer says to me because I know he will go overprotective-big brother on me. He is a year older than me. I am a sophmore at pearl high school. My friends are Johanna, Annie, and Madge. Gale's friends are Finnick, and Peeta. Technically we're a big group of friends since we always hang out together. Finnick and Annie have been dating since elementary school, you would think it doesn't count but they have been together since then. Peeta has been dating Glimmer for the past month, and for the past month she's been calling me "fat, and ugly, and telling me how I can't get a guy, and making fun of me because I'm _still_ a virgin" she only says shit to me when i'm alone or when the boys aren't around. I don't tell Peeta about it though. When I turned fourteen I got a job as a cashier at a clothing store. We aren't rich but we aren't poor either.

* * *

When I wake up, it takes me a little while for it to kick in. It's my birthday. _I'm officially 16._ I get out of bed and look at Prim's bed, she is fast asleep. She's a pretty heavy sleeper, the only thing that wakes her up is her nightmares, the alarm clocks, or fireworks going off on the fourth of July. I get up and go shower. When I finish showering I put on my robe, blow dry my hair, and go to my room. I'm surprised to find a package on my bed. I look to Prim's bed, but she's already up and I can hear her in the kitchen. I open the package. Inside lies black tights,a short-sleeved burgundy dress that is shorter in the front and longer in the back, and pulled in around my mid-stomach. I put the clothes on and turn to my bed. Inside the package there is also black leather boots, and a Southside Serpent Jacket. It's a replica of Jughead Jone's jacket from Riverdale.

 _Happy Birthday Katniss,_

 _We know how much you've wanted this jacket and how much you love the show so we got it for you, we want you to enjoy your special day!_

I can't help but feel self conscious, and I ask myself the question I used to find ridiculous, _does this dress make me look fat?_

Prim walks in with a huge smile. She walks over to my drawer and pulls something out. M _y bracelet._ Its a bracelet made of tiny golden arrows. My dad gave it to me for my tenth birthday. She walks over to my and puts it on me.

"Thanks Prim" I say and I hug her.

"Happy Birthday Katniss" she says.

"Thank you, I love you little duck" i say.

"I love you too" she says. I grab my bag and head to the kitchen. My mother is already in there, she looks at me.

" Aww you look beautiful" she says and she gives me a hug," Hazel had to go and take Rory, Vick, and Posy to school but she told me to wish you a happy birthday."

"Thanks" I say. I grab a piece of toast and eat it. When I'm finished Gale comes out of his room.

"You ready Catnip?" he asks me.

"lets go" I say. He sings happy birthday the entire walk to school, It's a nice thing to do except Gale couldn't sing to save his life. He goes to meet up with Finnick and I go to the main quad where Johanna, Annie, and Madge are waiting for me. They all say shriek "happy birthday" except for Johanna who throws an arm around me and says, "One year closer to death,"

"Always so dark and gloomy," I say back to her

"Only for you brainless," Johanna says, I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn to see Peeta

"Happy Birthday Kitty-Kat" He says, I scowl at the nickname and he laughs, he holds out a necklace with a locket attached to it

"Oh its beautiful." I sigh, I turn so he can put it on me, then I turn to face him again.

"Thank you" I say.

"It wasn't just me, we all chipped in for it. Open it" he says. I open the locket to find one picture spread across all three panels, the picture is the one my mom took the day after Christmas of me and my friends together,i close the locket.

"Its perfect" I say. I hug Peeta, when I hug him he holds me tighter than normal and I feel him nod at someone behind me. I hear Johanna whistle and footsteps approaching. Peeta lets go and I am being hoisted into the air. It takes me a moment to realize I am on Gale and Finnick's shoulders.

"This isn't funny put me down!" I say scowling. Then all my friends start singing happy birthday, when they finish i am laughing at how awful they sang on purpose.

"Gale! Finnick! Put me down!" I shout after the laughter wears off.

"As you wish, birthday girl" Finnick says. They both move from under me and I fall. I scream but someone catches me, it's Peeta. This must have been a part of their plan because Peeta was in the perfect position to catch me. I put my arms around his neck, that way if he tries to drop me all of a sudden like they did I won't fall.

"Put me down!" I shout.

"Of course, you're right, but first there's something I've gotta do," Peeta says, than he starts spinning me. I am laughing and squealing for him to stop. Then I see hands cover his eyes

Someone says "guess who?" before removing their hands.

Peeta trips over a bush and we both fall to grass. Gale rushes over to help me up and Finnick rushes over to help Peeta up. When we are both up Peeta looks at me.

"Sorry Kitty-Kat" he says, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine," I say. Peeta turns to Glimmer.

"Oh Peeta i'm sorry I didn't mean for her to fall" Glimmer says sweetly, but I can tell nobody believes her.

"Listen Glimmer, the guys and I gotta go talk with coach, right guys" Peeta lies, he can spin a lie pretty easy, he's always had a way with words, if you really know him though, you can tell when he's lying.

"Yeah" they agree. They turn to us and say bye and head towards the field. Glimmer turns to me

"Happy birthday! one year fatter, one year uglier, one more year of being single, one more year of being a virgin, one more year without even a first kiss! But then again, who would want to kiss of be with an ugly, fat, brat like you?" she says.

"You can think whatever you want," I say cooly

"Gladly," She says before walking away.

When I turn to look at the girls and they start talking all at once. Johanna cursing insults about Glimmer, Madge and Annie assuring me what Glimmer said isn't true, but I'm not really in the mood to hear it.

"Hey we all know the boys don't really need to talk to coach, they are probably just playing soccer, how about we go watch?" Madge suggests.

"Yeah. I just have to grab something from my history class for later, I'll catch up with you guys" I say keeping my voice steady. They look uncertain but agree. I quickly walk to the history room and go to the back corner of the classroom and sit on the floor. I cover my hands with my face and I let myself cry. I never usually break down like this but hearing this on my birthday, I couldn't hold it in. I'm sick of all the insults, why are they suddenly actually getting to me? I take deep breaths, trying to calm down. I hear someone walk in, and I try to stay as silent as possible, but I don't look up, I feel someone slide down next to me.

"Kitty-Kat? Whats wrong?" Peeta asks. I feel embarrassment rush through me. I can't tell him what his girlfriend says to me! I could lie, but he would know right away if I was lying. I am terrible at lying.

"You know I won't tell Gale if you don't want me to. You can trust me. What's wrong?" he says. I sigh, I tell him everything Glimmer said to me. I can feel him stiffen next to me.

"Is this the first time she's said that stuff to you?" he asks me. I shake my head.

"I'm so so sorry Katniss," Peeta says and I know he means it, "I know she's not nice,"

"Then why are you with her?" I ask, confused.

"My mom wants me to date her," He explains, "She's friends with Glimmer's mom,"

"Oh" I say.

"but she can't just say shit like that to you, especially when it's not true!" he says angrily.

"I feel so stupid" I mutter

"Why?" he asks

"Because normally it doesn't get to me like this!" I exclaim. "Normally I'm strong about it! The one day I break down it's in front of you!" I say, then clap my hands to my mouth, _Stupid!_

"Why does it matter that you break down in front of me?" he asks

"You remember that day at school, before you and Gale became friends, I didn't have a lunch and you came and sat down next to me? You had a lunch tray and I remember there was a Dandelion on the tray. You shared your lunch with me," I say

"Yeah, I remember," Peeta says, "Why?"

"You gave me hope after my dad died, you made me strong, and you still do," I say, "I already feel weak crying, and it being in front of you doesn't help,"

"Crying doesn't make you weak, and I don't think any less of you because you cry in front of me, Katniss you're one of the strongest people I know," Peeta says, I finally look up at him and there's something in his eyes that takes my breath away, and I'm suddenly aware of how close our faces are, and I know he senses it to because his eyes darken slightly.

As if in slow-motion our lips meet, and it's soft and perfect. His hand reaches up to caress my face and I get this warm feeling. My hands slide up to his hair.

"Wait," I say pulling my face away, "Peeta you have a girlfriend,"

I think Glimmer slipped both of our minds in the heat of the moment.

"You're right," Peeta says and his forehead connects to mine, "But Glimmer isn't the one I have feelings for,"

"I know," I say

"But we can't do this," He finishes, "Not while I'm still with her,"

"So what happens next?" I ask

"I break up with Glimmer," Peeta says

"What about your mom?" I ask him

"I don't care," He says, "I can't stay with Glimmer if you feel what I feel for you, do you feel what I feel for you?"

"I do,"

* * *

 **beep**

 _Peeta:_ _meet me at my locker_

 _Katniss: ok_

I walk to Peeta's locker. I just got out of chemistry, none of my friends have this class with me so I head off to Peeta's locker alone. When I get to Peeta's locker he is already there waiting for me.

"I brought you a little something" he says and pulls out a brown paper bag from his locker. I take the bag and open it, _a cheese bun_ , my favorite. I am about to grab it and take a bite when I stop to think. C _alories. This is what makes me fat._

Peeta picks up my hesitation.

"Stop it! You are not fat!" he says frustrated.

"I know" I lie.

"Don't lie to me. You are beautiful and amazing. Don't underestimate yourself" he tells me.

"I'm not pretty, I know that. That's not underestimating myself" I sigh

"You are beautiful. You have no idea the effect you can have" He says

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask. He hesitates then stand closer to me. He grabs my face in his hands. His face is inches from mine.

"You are beautiful, smart, and amazing. You are not fat. So what if you are a virgin, I am too. I can't stand watching you beat yourself up over what that slut says." he says. He hesitates and I know what about, at least I hope I do. I feel warmth spread through me. I think he wants to kiss me. I hope he does. W _ait what? W hope he does?_

"I want to kiss you so badly right now," He whispers

"I know," I say, "But we can't yet,"

"I know," He says and he pulls away reluctantly, "I'm going to break up with her, I want to be with you,"

"I want to be with you too," I admit, "I'm scared,"

"Scared of what?" Peeta asks

"Scared of falling too deep," I say

Peeta opens his mouth to respond but is cut off by a shriek, "What is this?!" oh no, Glimmer. She's holding out her phone, Peeta and I look at the picture on the screen, it's of me and Peeta in the history room this morning. We aren't kissing, it was taken after the kiss, it's where my forehead is connected with Peeta's, you can see the tears on my face, it looks like a really intimate photo.

"Glimmer," Peeta sighs

"No, don't 'Glimmer' me!" I want an explanation and I want it now!" She demands, "Did you cheat on me?"

"No, Glimmer," I was going to talk to you about that, I sent you a text to meet up after school. I was going to break up with you, well I guess I'm doing it now then," Peeta says

"Wait what? Break up with me?" She asks, "Why did you even ask me out if you wanted _HER_ the entire time?!"

"Honestly, because our moms wanted us to date," Peeta responds

I hear snickering and I realize that people are watching and recording, Glimmer realizes it too and she turns red.

"I'm sorry Glimmer, but I don't have feelings for you," Peeta says, "And even if I did, I don't think I could be friends with a girl who insults my friends,"

"Whatever," She says, "Soon you'll realize how big of a mistake you've just made," she says then she walks off angrily.

I slide down and sit against the lockers, and I feel Peeta slide down next to me.

"That went well," He sighs

"Probably as well as it could have gone,"

We sit in silence for a while, then he hear footsteps approach. Great, it's our friends here to interrogate us.

"Where you guys gonna tell us?" Annie asks

"It kinda just happened today," I say sheepishly

"I'm not sure I approve," Gale says skeptically

"What you don't trust me?" Peeta asks

"Maybe?" Gale answers

"Gale I don't need your permission," I say

"How did you guys find out anyways?"Peeta asks

"This school is filled with gossip," Johanna says, "It travels fast,"

"So you guys official or...?" Madge asks

"Let's find out," Peeta says, "Katniss Everdeen, will you be my girlfriend?"

"Yes I will," I say blushing

"Alright so now we got two couples in the group!" Finnick says, "Now we gotta get Gale with either Johanna or Madge,"

Gale strides over to the two of them and throws an arm around each, "Hello ladies,"

"Fuck off Hawthorne," Jo says elbowing his stomach, but I see the slightest hint of a blush on her face. I raise an eyebrow at her and she flips me off.

* * *

 **Hey so this was the second story I ever wrote on here, but I ended up taking them down but not before exporting the chapters to my document manager, so I did some editing to the first chapter and here it is! Let me know what you think of it! Don't expect the chapters to be too frequent since Hidden and You Don't Own me are first priority, but I figured I could get this story out there and if you've read the old version tell me if you like this better so far and if you read Secret Couple, let me know if you want that one republished but edited to make it better! Sorry the Authors Note is so long, just wanted to get that out there, they won't be so long in the future.**


	2. Chapter 2

**~Katniss~**

* * *

I wake up gasping for air. I turn on my phone, it's 3:47 am. I sigh, I hear a soft knock on the door.

"Come in" I say. Gale walks in with a glass of water.

"I heard you screaming," Gale says, then he hands me the water, "Here"

"Thanks" I say when he gives it to me. I drink the water and Gale takes the cup from me.

"You okay?" he asks.

"Yeah I'm fine" I assure him

"Okay, well goodnight" he says.

"Goodnight" I say, Gale leaves and closes the door behind him. I turn to look at prim, and like I suspected, she's asleep. Even when I wake up screaming, I never wake her up.

* * *

 _Beep._

I look at my phone to see a message from Johanna.

 **J: What time?**

I type a quick response.

 **K: Noon**

My mom, Prim, Hazel, Rory, Vick, and Posy went to the capitol with some tickets Prim got from school as a prize for highest test score. They will be gone until Sunday night. I get out of bed and look in the mirror. I am wearing a short sleeve pajama shirt and pajama shorts. Peeta's right, I shouldn't underestimate myself. I put socks on and go in the living room.

Finnick and Peeta are already here playing video games with Gale. They are having a boys weekend, they're spending the night in the living room.

"Morning boys" I say

"Hey Catnip," Gale says without looking up from the screen.

Peeta turns to look at me, "Good morning Kit-Kat" he says with a smile

"Hey lover boy focus on the game!" Finnick says to Peeta

"Oh am I distracting you, _lover boy_?" I ask playfully

"Wearing that you are" he smirks playfully, glancing at my shorts. Gale clears his throat.

"Don't get all over protective on me Gale, We all see how you and Johanna look at each other!" I tell Gale. Gale blushes but keeps looking at the game. When I know Peeta is looking at me, I turn, swaying my hips as I walk to the door that leads to the kitchen

"Katniss!" Gale shouts, just as I reach the doorway.

"What?" I ask a little too innocently. I chuckle as Gale rolls his eyes. I close the door behind me, grab a banana, then walk back into the living room/

"When Johanna and Annie get here just send them to my room, okay?"

"Sure thing" Gale says. I shower and then go back to my room. When I get back to my room I see my phone has a notification, it's from the online school student newspaper.

 ***New update on school Gossip Column***

 _Miss Know It All_

 _Hey guys, I'm back with the inside scoop on a love triangle. Who is this love triangle made up of? Well none other than Glimmer Blossom, Peeta Mellark, and Katniss Everdeen. We all knew about the "it" couple Peeta and Glimmer, but it turns out Peeta has a thing for Katniss! You'd never believe the brutal way poor Glimmer found out! Except you better believe it, because we have proof! Just at the start of lunch, Peeta and Katniss were seen talking by his locker, they seemed pretty close (if you know what I mean). Although they weren't locking lips, their faces were far too close to be considered normal for friends. They were broken apart by Glimmer who had caught their intimate moment. Glimmer demanded an explanation of the photo that was sent to her, it showed Katniss and Peeta sitting in the far back corner of a classroom with their foreheads pressed together. When confronted, Peeta denied the accusation of having cheated on her, but admitted that his heart lay elsewhere. Katniss clearly knew Peeta was taken, but showed no shame in having shared these intimate moments with him. We all know there's only one good reason Peeta would leave Glimmer for Katniss, she must be what he needs, (if you know what I mean). Say bye to the boyfriend stealing bitch! #KatnissTheSlut (full video and images posted below)._

 _Toodles!_

You know in movies when either something really good or really bad happens and the girls screams? Yeah, well that was just me. I hear footsteps and all the boys are suddenly in my room.

"What happened?" Peeta asks. I show him my phone and he reads the article, when he finishes reading, he passes the phone to Finnick and Gale. I bury my face in my hands. When I look up i see that Gale looks furious.

"Gale calm down," I say to him

"Who wrote that bullshit?" he fumes

"its an anonymous gossip column on the online student newspaper" I explain, that doesn't calm him.

"Gale why don't we let them talk?" Finnick suggests and he grabs Gale by the arm and leads him out of the room, closing the door behind him. I look at Peeta and stretch out my arms. He walks over to me and sits on my bed next to me, I curl up in his arms.

"Peeta?" I say quietly

"yeah?" he says quietly

"I'm not a slut right?" I whisper, hating how vulnerable I sound.

"Of course not!" he assures me

"That gossip colum. isn't true right?"

"Not at all, except, my heart does lay with another, and that person is you. I really like you" he replies.

I laugh a little, "Am I really that good at kissing?" I joke

"Of course" he says playfully. I shift so that I am sitting on his lap with my legs on either side of him. I lean in and kiss him. He is pushed up against the headboard, he puts a hand on my back and a hand in my hair. I put both my hands in his hair, pushing his face into mine. I feel much better, nobody will take Peeta away from me. His lips travel down to my jaw line then to my neck. I can't help but let out a soft moan as he finds the spot on my neck that feels amazing, I can feel him smirking against my neck as I bite back a gasp.

"Peeta, you better move from that spot if you don't want Gale to come in and pull me off of you" I whisper, slightly breathless.

"Uh oh" he whispers as he pulls away

"What?" I ask him

"I may have left a mark"

"Are you sure?" I ask feeling slightly panicked.

"I think so, but it's barely forming," Peeta says

"Damn it, I'll probably be able to cut it with my hair, just kiss me" we kiss again, but it doesn't last long before the sound of the door opening startles us. I jump off Peeta and quickly shift my hair.

"Calm down it's just us" Annie says. I give a sigh of relief.

"Well I...uh... better get back over there" Peeta says, he flashes me a smile then leaves the room.

"Damn you guys move fast" Johanna smirks.

"Oh shut up." I scowl

We decide to start with truth or dare.

"Hey do you guys remember that box we made as kids?" Annie asks

"What box?" I ask

"You know that one box, we wrote cards, they were like dares," Annie says

"Oh yeah!" Johanna says

"I think I still have that box," I say, "Let me go check," I go to the hall closet and look through until I find a battered old shoe box with drawings all over it. I walk back into my room, "This should be fun,"

One person pulls a card out and reads is, everybody playing has to do whatever the card says. Johanna pulls out a card and sets it down for us to read, G _o to sleep in a tank top and underwear._ That sounds simple enough, this is like a flashback to when we were kids. Annie pulls out another card and lays it down, _Draw on someone's toy,_ We all laugh at that one. I pull out a card and lay it down, _Find a way to get extra desert._

"These are ridiculous," I laugh

"How old were we when we made these?" Johanna asks

"I have no idea," Annie says, "I'm pretty sure the rest of these are just as funny,"

"We should make a teenage version of this," I suggest

"Or we could play Cards Against Humanity," Johanna says

"What so you can place the most inappropriate cards down?" I ask

"You know it," Johanna says

We're interrupted by the sound of my phone ringing, I look at the Caller ID, it's Madge. I press answer and set it so we can all see her and she can see us.

" hi guys" Madge says, we all say hi to her

"Alright so I've got bad news" She sighs

"whats up?" I ask.

"I'm moving" Madge replies.

"Wait what? I ask her, "Where are you moving to?"

"Somewhere upstate, I don't know but my dad was offered a job and he accepted," She says.

"You can't be serious," Annie says

"Yeah" Johanna says, "He's just moving you like that?"

"I am having a going away party this Saturday" Madge says

"That's good," I say, "We'll have a final hoorah before you leave,"

"Yeah and I have one request" Madge says

"What?" Johanna asks skeptically

"We all get identical haircuts!" she says excitedly

"When?" I ask her, starting to get kinda worried

"Now!" she squeals, _crap!_

"Okay" Annie says, "I'm cool with that,"

"Sure why not? Lets do it!" Johanna says

"Yeah" I say, forcing a smile on my face.

"Annie, since you are really good at haircuts, can you do it?" Madge asks

"of course!" Annie responds.

"Great! Can I go to your place tomorrow afternoon so you can do mine?" Madge asks

"Yeah" Annie responds.

"Okay, do yours first" Madge says.

"Okay, Katniss do you have scissors I can use to cut hair?" Annie asks me.

"I'll go find some" I respond, I leave my room and go to the living room.

"Gale have you seen the scissors?" I ask him

"No why?" he responds

"Annie is going to cut our hair," I say, my eyes flicker to Peeta.

"I think I saw them, let me show you" Peeta says, he walks with me into the kitchen.

"With the haircut its probably barely going to cover the mark," I sigh and pull my hair away

"I'm sorry" Peeta says

"No don't apologize, I liked it." I say, he smiles at me.

"Good, so did I" He says, he hands me the scissors.

"Thanks." I say, I go to my room and plop down onto my bed, not realizing I never shifted my hair back, I start to notice something's up because it's unusually quiet. I sit up and look at them questioningly.

"Hey Katniss, what's that on your neck-shoulder area" Madge asks, I quickly pull my hair to cover the mark.

"Too late!" Annie laughs

"When did that happen?" Johanna asks with her usual smirk

"Today" I sigh.

Annie cuts her hair while Madge and Johanna make jokes about me and Peeta. When Annie finishes cutting her hair, she begins cutting Johanna's hair.

"So did you guys read that gossip column?" I ask them, not entirely sure I want to hear the answer.

"Yeah, that was harsh" Madge says

"and untrue" Annie adds

"I bet you anything Glimmer knows the writer of that column," Johanna says.

"Probably," I agree

"There!" Annie says, she's just finished cutting Johanna's hair, now it's my turn, I sit down on the chair. I can feel the hair falling as Annie cuts it/

"So I know what we can do about this whole hickey situation at school" Johanna says

"what?" I ask skeptically.

"Don't hide it," Johanna says simply

"That's it?" I ask

"Don't show it off, but don't try to hide it either.," Johanna says, "If they see it, it shows you don't care what they think and if they don't see it well then it's not your problem either way,"

"That's a good idea" Madge says.

"Yeah" Annie agrees

"Alright," I agree, "but today I don't want to let Gale see this. I don't want him to flip out on Peeta, and I'd rather tel him than him see it," I tell them

"Okay," Johanna says, "We can do something about that,"

"Done" Annie declares. I look in the mirror, I really like the hair cut, but it only covers like half of the mark, either way it covers more than I thought it would.

"Um" Annie suggests, "maybe a scarf?"

"That could work" Madge says

"But all three of us should wear one so it's less suspicious," Johanna says.

I walk over to my dresser, dig through my drawers and pull out three spring scarfs, I put one on and hand the other two to Annie and Johanna. We hang up with Madge then the three of us walk to the living room.

We walk in the living room and the guys, who have stopped playing video games, turn to look at us.

"Nice, now when we make out we don't have to worry about brushing your hair afterwards," Finnick says to Annie seductively, Annie just blushes. Nobody questions the scarfs but Finnick gives me a knowing look. I turn my attention to Gale and Johanna.

Gale had stood up and was stuttering,"your uh h-hair um looks uh nice." Johanna for once doesn't look like she'd be ready to kill at any moment, she's actually blushing and looks slightly flustered.

I roll my eyes, Peeta and I look at each other and I get that mischievous look in my eye, I know because Peeta nods and casually steps behind Gale. I casually step behind Johanna. Normally they'd probably notice something was up and move but right now they're too entranced in each other. Peeta pushes Gale slightly and I do the same to Johanna, she stumbles and Gale catches her around the middle. Their faces are inches apart, both staring intently at each other. I knew Gale had a crush on her but there is definitely something more there. They both seam frozen in time and I'm mentally scolding Gale to kiss her. He doesn't. Johanna, however, get's tired of standing still and grabs his pace, pressing it to hers. In that moment Gale is snapped out of his haze and pulls her closer to him, kissing her back with just as much enthusiasm.

The rest of us look at each other in shock. We honestly didn't expect that to work. Annie's phone rings, bringing Gale and Johanna out of their bubble. Gale takes Johanna's hand and leads her to the kitchen.

"That's my mom, gotta get going for dinner. Bye guys" Annie says, she kisses Finnick then leaves.

"Hey Katniss," Finnick says, I turn to look at him, "That's a nice scarf," he says with a wink

"I don't know what you're talking about," I say

"If you say so," Finnick smirk.

Johanna walks back in like if nothing just happened, "See ya," she says to us then walks out the front door.

Gale comes back in, not as indifferent as Johanna had, but with a huge smile on his face.

"So?" Finnick asks, "What's the news?"

"I think we're going to Madge's party together," Gale says

"Madge is having a party?" Peeta asks me

"Yeah," I explain, "Her dad's making them move and she's having a going away party,"

"Oh," Peeta says

"Hey," Finnick says, "Now we can go on triple dates,"

"Oh shut up" Gale says.

"Yeah Gale," I say, "Why don't we go on a triple date?" I ask, knowing it'll annoy him.

"Excuse me for not being comfortable with one of my best friends sucking face with my cousin that's practically a sister to me,"

"Isn't that the exact same situation I'm in?" I ask him

"Gale a cousin that's practically a sister to you?" Finnick asks, he and Peeta burst out laughing and I can't help but laugh a bit.

"Okay," Finnick says," but seriously Katniss, him and Johanna doesn't weird you out? Not even a little bit?"

"Are you kidding me?" I ask him, "knowing they like each other is different than seeing it,"

"Wait," Peeta says, "You've always tried to get them together,"

"What can I say? I'm a complicated girl," I say, then I walk back to my room.

* * *

 _"No!" I shout, "Come back! Please! I need you!"_

 _"Katniss," He says, his voice fading_

 _"Please! Don't leave me!" I cry_

 _"Katniss!" It's a different voice, I know this voice, but as this voice enters, the other voice disappears._

 _"Dad?!" I call out, "Where are you?! Please! Where did you go?!"_

 _"Katniss, it's me!" The voice says, it's getting louder," You're okay,"_

 _Everything around me starts to fade._

I startle, gasping and looking around frantically. Peeta is leaning over me, his face full of worry.

"Peeta?" I gasp

"Katniss," Peeta says with relief, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I say shakily

"What happened?" He asks, "I heard you screaming,"

"Nightmare," I explain, taking a deep breath

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asks

"It was just a nightmare," I assure

"You scared me" He admits.

"I know," I say quietly, "Prim doesn't wake up to them, she's a deep sleeper. Gale wakes sometimes, he's knows what to expect by now,"

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks. I shake my head, knowing that if I start to talk then I'll start to cry. The thoughts of are too much right now, still in a sleep haze, I feel the tears coming to my eyes.

"I feel like an idiot" I say with a teary voice. I motion for him to stand up straight, he does and I open the blanket - completely forgetting about that dare box - and motion for him to join me.

"Are you trying to provoke me?" He asks raising an eyebrow. I look down, notice my bare legs and snap the blanket down. My face is beet red and he chuckles.

"Relax Kat," he says, he gets on the bed and settles next to me, on top of the blanket. I scoot close to him and rest my head on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" He asks me

"Why?" I ask.

"Because," he pauses, "I've never seen this side of you, and honestly it kind of worries me,"

"I know," I sigh, "I feel weak,"

"You're not weak" he says

"No its true, around my birthday and holidays I tend get like this. I just miss my dad so much around these times," I say shakily, "Don't worry, I'll be fine by Monday," I assure.

"Okay,"

"Sorry I woke you," I say

"It's fine," He says

"You should go before Gale catches you in here," I sigh

"I know," he sighs

"Goodnight," I say as he kisses my forehead

"Goodnight," He says

* * *

 **~Peeta~**

* * *

The moment I get home I know something is wrong. It's too quiet, it's Sunday, normally the TV would on or something, but it's silent. I walk to the room I share with Rye and dump my bag on the bed.

Now I know I'm in trouble because I can hear my mother's footsteps coming closer to my room. I take a deep breath and brace myself for whatever it is I did.

"Is there something you'd like to explain to me?" I hear her ask from behind me. I turn around to face her.

"About what?" I ask her

"About what Glimmer's mom and I were talking on the phone earlier," Mother says

"What were you talking about?" I ask

"You broke up with Glimmer," Mother says

"I broke up with Glimmer," I say back to her

"Why?!" She demands

"Because I don't like Glimmer," I say, "I never wanted to ask her out in the first place,"

"I understand that Glimmer can be a bit much at times," Mother says, "But that's why you give her a chance,"

"I did!" I say," I don't have feelings for her,"

"Okay then," Mother says, "What about you dating some slut now?

I feel anger rising, "Katniss is not a slut!"

"Don't you raise your voice at me!" Mother shouts

"I'm not gonna let you insult her like that!" I shout back

"You will do what I say," Mother says, taking a step closer to me, "You will dump the slut, you will apologize to Glimmer, and you will get back together with her,"

"No," I say

She looks livid as she gets even closer, "What did you say to me?"

"I said No," I say

She raises her hand and slaps me, hard. "You," slap "Ungrateful," slap "Bastard," slap

She might have hit me more if the phone hadn't start ringing, she walks away angrily and I can feel the burning from where she hit me.

I fall onto my bed, laying on my back. I stood up to my mother, I had to, I couldn't let her say that about Katniss. I hear Rye come into the room and he walks over to my bed.

"You okay little bro?" he asks me

"I'm fine," I answer.

"You really did it this time," Rye says

"I wasn't gonna let her insult Katniss," I say

"Oh," Rye says, "What's the deal with this girl?"

"I'm not sure," I admit, "But I know I really like her,"

"And she like you?" Rye asks, I nod, "I'm going to have to meet the girl who's captured your heart,"

"Yeah right," I laugh

"What?" He asks, "You don't think I can behave myself in front of a lady?"

"I _know_ you can't"

* * *

 **Hey so the editing took longer on this chapter and I haven't updated my other two in a while either. I think High school and life are just kicking my ass right now. You guys liked the first chapter and I hope this one is as good too.**

 **Review answering!**

 **District12Greenie: Glad you love the story! I'm working on Secret Couple ( I got a brilliant idea for a new story too *shh* maybe) Glad you like this version better and I hope it gets better!**

 **SparrowBirdEliza: So glad you're hooked, now I'm hoping you stay hooked!**

 **imaginationheartlove: Sorry for the wait, I'm working on getting these all done and updated (having three at a time may not be the best for someone like me rn :/ ;) but I'm trying! )**

 **Rose fangirl1: Glad you love it and I'm working on continuing!**

 **Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**~Katniss~**

* * *

I get up earlier than normal, I have to talk to Gale. He is always awake before everybody else, but he stays in his room until the everyone else wakes up. I quietly get ready for school, and prepare myself for the conversation to come. I look in the mirror, if I angle my hair in a certain way, it almost covers the mark. I need to be smart about this. Gale isn't going to be happy about this, I know that. But I'd rather tell him myself, then have him find out at school and make a scene. I use my silent feet to walk over to Gale's bedroom. I take a deep breath then knock on his door. I hear his quiet footsteps, then the door opens.

"Hey Gale. Can we talk?" I ask. He nods and we go to the living room. "Look, I need you to understand and not freak out,"

"What's going on?" He asks

"Nothing bad," I say,"I just- I need you to get that I'm-" I sigh, "Gale I love you and I get that you want to protect me but you also have to understand that I'm gonna do things regardless of what you want,"

"What's this about?" He asks, starting to get impatient. I shake my head a bit, so that my hair moves and reveals my mark. Gale's eyed widen," Are you kidding me?! You guys like _just_ started dating!"

"Gale calm down," I say, "This is exactly what I was talking about. I didn't want you to make a scene at school, I figured it was better I just told you,"

"Am I going to have to babysit him every time he's over here?!"

"No, Gale calm down," I say, "You need to get that Peeta and I are a couple, and I get that you want to protect me but you've got to let me be independent. You have to promise you won't say anything to Peeta."

"What if he hurts you?" He asks

"He won't" I say

"You don't know that," He says

"Then we'll cross that bridge if we get there," I say

"Fine." Gale sighs, "But Katniss..."

"What?" I ask

"I think you should talk to Peeta about Darius," He says

"I know" I say quietly

"Soon, you remember what Darius had said right?" Gale asks

"Yeah I remember. I just- I need more time,"

"Don't wait too long. You don't have much time left and you don't want Peeta to find out some other way."

"I know. I'll do it soon"

"Okay"

* * *

Peeta and I walk hand in hand through the hall on our way to lunch. I need to tell him, I mean, it can wait right? _No, it can't. Clock is ticking._

"Well...well...well," A voice distracts me, I look up to see Glimmer walking towards us with an evil glare. "Look who it is,"

"What are you going to insult me with this time? We both know the shit you say to me isn't true, especially not now," I say to her

"I think the little virgin is getting too cocky," She says, "Bad choice of words, you don't get _cock_ y do you?"

I've had enough of her little games, I turn to Peeta and, knowing my hickey shows "If we had sex, would I still be a virgin? I ask him in a fake sweet voice. A glance at Glimmer tells me she's shocked and angry.

"No, you would not be a virgin" Peeta replies, I turn back to Glimmer

"If being happy makes me a slut in your books, then so be it," I say and then we walk away. I feel like my old self, I gave her a piece of my mind.

"And I thought you couldn't lie," Peeta says after we've passed them

"I technically didn't lie, I point out, "I simply asked you a question and if she assumes something else, that's her problem,"

Peeta laughs and says, "True"

My phone beeps, I pull it out. It's an online newspaper update notification. Crap. What now?

 _GOSSIP COLUMN_

 _MISS KNOW IT ALL_

 _Pearl High's newest couple Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are moving fast. For a new couple, they sure aren't afraid to hide what goes on behind closed doors. Katniss has been seen around school today with a hickey, and s_ _he definitely wasn't trying to hide it. Reliable source tells us the couple has already had sex. Talk about a slut with no shame. Let's hope Katniss the slut doesn't become a pregnant slut. Not only that, remember Darius? Hardly any people new about the girlfriend he had before he moved away. Guess who it was... it was none other than our Katniss Everdeen. He said he'd be back beginning to mid May this year, that'll sure stir up quite the drama. Will their past promise to re-unite get in the way of the new couple? Who's to say the new boyfriend even knows about the ex-boyfriend? I'm miss know it all, here with your hot off the press gossip!_

I frown. Reliable source? This has Glimmer written all over it. How'd she know about Darius though?

"What is it?" Peeta asks

"Oh just a text from Madge talking about her going away party," I lie, not making eye contact. I don't want him to find out this way! I have to tell him, if he reads this first, I doubt he'll hear me out.

I text Gale, telling him what I'm doing. I scan the hallways, people are starting to look at us, whispering. They've probably already read the update. I don't want to tell him about Darius in the middle of the hallway so I grab Peeta's arm and pull him into an empty classroom with me.

"Katniss, what's going on?" Peeta asks me as I close the door behind us.

"There's something I need to tell you," I say to him

"What is it?" He asks me, "You can tell me anything,"

"You aren't my first boyfriend, I know that's probably not a big deal since I know I'm not your first girlfriend. His name is Darius, our relationship was a secret, I didn't want people to know so I only told Gale and Madge. He left at the end of the school year, that summer before I met you, and he said he'd be back. He actually said he'd be back around this time. We broke up when he left but he said that when he got back-"

"You two would get back together" Peeta finishes for me

"Yeah," I say. Peeta scoffs

"Why didn't you tell me about this before?" He asks

"I don't know. I wasn't sure how to bring it up!"

"You could have mentioned you had another boyfriend on the way!"

"Hey, that's not fair, we broke up and it wasn't like we were even that serious! It's not what you think!"

"Then what is it?"

"I wanted to make sure this was real, that we had established trust. Our relationship just started, it didn't feel like the right time to bring him up!"

"What am I supposed to believe?"

"I don't have feelings for Darius, It's been like forever since I last talked to him"

"How do I know that? How do I know that when he gets back your feelings will resurface and I'll be kicked to the curb?"

"Because I'm with you now! I have feelings for _you._ Not Darius, _you."_ I say, and I think I see him starting to believe me, "Just trust me Peeta, no matter what you read, I'm in a relationship with you and I want it to stay that way,"

"Wait... _no matter what I read?_ Is that what you were reading? You lied to me, I knew that wasn't a text from Madge! If that article hadn't come out, where you even going to tell me or were you just going to wait for him to come back?"

"I was going to tell you, I was trying to figure out how," Peeta rolls his eyes, my defensive side flares, "Why are you getting so upset?! This was two years ago!"

"How am I supposed to feel? It would be different if it were just some ex-boyfriend, but Katniss he's coming back, fully expecting to be with you," He grabs my hands, "I care so much about you, but I need to know these things!"

"I know that, but Peeta I'm new to this. You're the first person I've felt this way for. With Darius, it was different, we never kissed, it felt more like being friends who held hands. He wanted it more than I did, but _this,_ I want this,"

Peeta doesn't say anything for a bit, then he sighs, "What happens when he comes back?"

"He can come back," I say, "But I'm with you. I don't know how to say this Peeta. I'm not good with words like you are. There's this song, and when I hear the lyrics, I think of you,"

"Can you sing it for me?" He asks softly, I nod and take a deep breath, then I start singing.

 _The rustling leaves_

 ** _A hint of rain_**

 ** _My shining heart, it rusts again_**

 ** _My eyes stay closed_**

 ** _But the memories rise_**

 ** _The earth, his face_**

 ** _The lake, his eyes_**

 ** _They see fields_**

 ** _I see you_**

 ** _They hear rain_**

 ** _I hear too_**

 ** _Your laugh, your voice_**

 ** _Your fear, your joy_**

 ** _Everywhere, everywhere_**

 ** _Everywhere is you_**

Throughout the entire song, our eyes never leave each others. I intertwine our hands with a smile.

"I believe you," He says and I feel relief flood through me, deep down I knew he would.

"Why does high school have to be so dramatic?" I groan

Peeta chuckles, "I don't know. If you think about it, I was probably over reacting,"

"No," I say, "I don't think you were. I think you had every right to be upset,"

I lean in and wrap my arms around his waist and he hugs me back, his chin resting on my head, "Who do you think writes the gossip column?"

"I don't know," He says, "But we can't let them get to us,"

I lean back up to look at him, and then I kiss him. Being with him feels so right.

* * *

 **Hey guys, I know it's been like three months since I last updated but things have been crazy with school and life in general but the school year is almost over so I just have to get through my finals then I'll have more time to write! I know this chapter is short but I hope it was worth some of the wait. It's proving to be a bit more difficult than I thought to rewrite this because I want to rewrite the story line a bit since the original was kinda all over the place, if you have any suggestions, please let me know by reviewing or feel free to PM me. Sorry for such a long authors note and thank you to those who read through it all!**

 _ **Song:** **Everywhere is you**_

 ** _Show: Backstage: season two: Apart but together_**.

 **Review Answering!  
**

 **imagionationheartlove: I'm so glad you love these and thanks for understanding that it can be hard to update sometimes! I get the being impatient so I'll try to update more frequently! **

**SparrowBirdEliza: I'm glad you're hooked! That's my goal! I'm so happy you liked it and it's cool you read that at midnight, seeing as I'm publishing this at like 11pm (my time, I don't know what time it is where you're from). Hope you liked this chapter!**


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